Sustainability at the heart of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council

The FAO Liaison Office in Brussels met with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council to discuss environmental issues. The Presidency has put sustainability issues at the heart of its agenda and its representatives updated the UN agencies on the five environmental priority areas of their programme: climate, circular economy, biodiversity, zero pollution and chemicals. 

FAO and UNEP presented the jointly-led 2021-2030 UN Decade for Ecosystem restoration which aims to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide to the benefit of people and nature. Ecosystem restoration is key to efforts to combat climate change, preserve biodiversity and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

The discussion focused primarily on SGD 12, which aims to achieve sustainable consumption and production patterns. Target 12.3 aims to halve global food waste by 2030. FAO briefed the Presidency on its Food Loss Index indicator which shows that nearly 14% of food production is lost after harvest and on the way to its final retail destination.

FAO and UNEP continue to work closely with the Portuguese Presidency on sustainable consumption and production patterns.